Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) will hold the China Children’s Week 2017 – Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing Competition on 7 May 2017 (Sunday) at Central Lawn, Nursery Park, West Kowloon Cultural District, Kowloon. The competition to be held one week before Mother’s Day will raise funds for UNICEF’s ‘Cash Transfers for Deprived Children‘ (CCT) Project in China, which will be dedicated to giving a good start in life for every child by improving the maternal and child health services in China.

Although families from remote and deprived areas are now entitled to free hospital delivery and healthcare services, suspension of work and high travelling costs make them reluctant to access these services and lead to high maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Since 2013, UNICEF HK has allocated the funds raised in China Children’s Week to the CCT project launched by UNICEF in 15 counties in Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan. Through the initiative, women from underprivileged families will receive cash subsidies, enabling their access to prenatal and postnatal checkups, hospital delivery and vaccinations for their babies. By 26 January 2017, a total of 16,806 women and children under 1 year old have been benefitted from this project.

By joining the Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing Competition, children can celebrate an early Mother’s Day. While expressing their love to mothers in the drawings, these little artists can also raise funds for mothers and children in rural China, championing the spirit of ‘kids helping kids’. UNICEF sincerely invites all little artists aged 12 or below to participate in this meaningful fundraising event for CCT Project, ensuring a healthy good start for children.

Date: Sunday, 7 May 2017

Time: 12 – 6pm

Place: Central Lawn, Nursery Park, West Kowloon Cultural District, Kowloon (Carnival will be set up in Sunset Lawn)

This competition is open for children who are 12 or under.
There are 3 age groupsGroup A: 6 years old or under (Born in 2011 or after)Group B: 7-9 years old (Born between 2008 and 2010)Group C: 10-12 years old (Born between 2005 and 2007)Awards: 1st Prize, 2nd Prize, 3rd Prize and 20 Consolation Prizes for each age group;
Most Popular Award (online voting);
Overall Champion;
All participants will receive a certificate of participation.
The 3 organization with most participants will receive a certificate.

7 April 2017 (Friday) Deadline for submission of printed application form21 April 2017 (Friday) Deadline for online applicationLate April 2017 Confirmation emails to all applications, this email will be used for registration on event day7 May 2017 (Sunday) China Children’s Week 2017 – Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing CompetitionTo be announced Official results and prize collection announcements on the website

About UNICEF: UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything they do. Together with their partners, they work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for the rights of every child. Child rights begin with safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflict and traverse the life cycle: pre-natal care for healthy births, clean water and sanitation, health care and education.

UNICEF has spent nearly 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Working with and for children through adolescence and into adulthood requires a global presence whose goal is to produce results and monitor their effects. UNICEF also lobbies and partners with leaders, thinkers and policy makers to help all children realize their rights—especially the most disadvantaged.

Children are born to live their lives to the fullest. However, their fate is not in their own hands. In a city as prosperous as Hong Kong, there are 332,000 children and youngsters* living in poverty. Many of these youngsters have not been identified and are forgotten. In the Mainland, there are many more children in similar or more dire circumstances who need our help.

Children are precious and should be protected and guided from a tender age. Changing Young Lives Foundation reaches out to children in need and gives them a brighter future. Since their inception, Changing Young Lives Foundation has launched protection, education, development and participation programmes in Hong Kong and the Mainland. They work with children from disadvantaged families in Hong Kong and those in the poorest regions of rural China.

MissionChanging Young Lives Foundation serves underprivileged young people in Hong Kong and the Mainland and seek to change their lives for the better. They support and inspire them to work towards a better life through educational and developmental programmes which nurture the mind, body and spirit. They help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to realize their full potential and lead happy and productive lives. Changing Young Lives Foundation works in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and they promote these rights in their services.

VisionChanging Young Lives Foundation’s vision is of a world where children of all ages are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation and kept safe at all times, where they have shelter, food, health care and education. These are the basic requirements for the sound development of all children. They see young people, who are at risk or disadvantaged, trusting and believing in themselves and feeling good about who they are and all the great things they can do. They see them exploring and realizing their talents and abilities to the fullest, and having the self-assurance and courage to reach out for their dreams.

What you can do to help?Changing Young Lives Foundation seeks volunteers to help with a number of services and activities including tutoring, mentoring, skill coaching & training and also fundraising, survey & research, etc. If you would like to help, please follow this link, download and complete the Volunteer Form and submit.

Help Changing Young Lives Foundation change young lives for the better.

* Source : Summary of Statistics on Poverty 2012 and Proposal on Low Income Supplement, issued by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.

For most people in Hong Kong, the city is perhaps home of satisfactory living standard. However a lot of social problems in the city remain invisible to us. Only if every one of us extends a helping hand, we can together achieve big social changes. Habitat for Humanity launched Project Home Works which targets to help low income families, the elderly and the physically disabled by providing free house repairing and cleaning services. The project strives to bring better homes, build community and convey hope to the society.

Throughout the project, Habitat for Humanity partners with different non-profit and social services organizations in search for families and people in need. A lot of our home partners especially the elderly and physically disabled, who owing to age and physical restrictions, cannot clean their homes regularly not to mention repairing the broken parts. However potential household traps threaten their home safety. Project Home Works thus step in and hope to give them a bright and clean home with hope.

Project Home Works involves volunteers and allow them to experience first hand the unsatisfactory living conditions of the home partners. Through the program, the volunteers not only bring warmth to home partners by talking to them, but can also share their experience with friends and families, thus raising awareness of poverty housing problems.

Project Home Works is held twice every month. Be part of the Habitat for Humanity team and bring home, community and hope to more families!

Date: The second and fourth Saturday of each month

Audience: Anyone who is interested in serving the community. Experience in home repairs and renovation is not required.

Age requirement: Aged 15 or above

Types of work: Wall Painting, fix peeling ceiling, house cleaning etc

To find out more about Project Home Works, the next available service date and to join, please visit their website.

About Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong: Habitat for Humanity International’s vision is a world where everyone has a decent place to live. Anchored by the conviction that safe and affordable housing provides a path out of poverty, since 1976 Habitat has helped more than 5 million people through home construction, rehabilitation and repairs and by increasing access to improved shelter through products and services. Habitat also advocates to improve access to decent and affordable shelter and offers a variety of housing support services that enable families with limited means to make needed improvements on their homes as their time and resources allow. As a nonprofit Christian housing organization, Habitat works in more than 70 countries and welcomes people of all races, religions and nationalities to partner in its mission.

Population is growing in cities around the world. It is estimated that 523 million people in Asia are currently living in slums. Each day, another 120,000 people are added to the populations of Asian cities, requiring the construction of at least 20,000 new dwellings daily. Housing supply simply cannot catch up with demand in Asia.

Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong is dedicated to raising awareness of the need for decent housing and harnessing resources to improve living conditions including water, lighting and sanitation for families across the Asia-Pacific region, including China.

They believe a safe, secure and decent home opens the door to improved health, better performance in school, greater economic opportunities, women empowerment, and increased community cohesion, among others. Decent housing provides a way out of poverty, not only in this generation but for generations to come.

What Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong does:

– Building, rehabilitating and repairing homes for low-income families, including the elderly and families with disabled members;
– Providing permanent housing solutions for people vulnerable to, or affected by natural disasters, conflicts and other calamities;
– Recruiting and training volunteer builders to construct decent housing alongside Habitat home partner families and support youth development in the community.

The China Children’s Week 2015 – Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing Competition will be held on 11 January 2015 (Sunday) at Central Lawn, Victoria Park, Causeway Bay to raise funds to support the ‘Cash Transfers for Deprived Children’ Project in China, which aims to enable children in China to grow healthily. High maternal mortality and under-five mortality are attributed to delivering babies at home in many poor families in the remote and deprived areas. Suspension of work and long travelling distance are considered as the major obstacles for accessing hospital or clinical delivery and relevant services, despite the free services. UNICEF has extended the Project to 15 provinces in Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan. Pregnant women in the provinces can receive a cash subsidy as an incentive to get medical care for themselves and their babies, such as postnatal and antenatal checkup, giving birth in hospital and immunisation for infants.
Little Artists aged 12 or below are invited to participate in this meaningful event. In the spirit of ‘Kids helping Kids’, participants can through their drawings communicate with the children in China bringing hope and blessings for a better future.

Date: 11 January 2015 (Saturday)

Time: 1pm – 5pm (Tentative)

Location: Central Lawn, Victoria Park, Causeway Bay

This competition is open for children 12 years old or below. There are 3 categories:Category A: 6 years old & below (Born 2009 or later)Category B: 7-9 years old (Born 2006 – 2008)Category C: 10-12 years old (Born 2003 – 2005)

For more information, please visit the UNICEF website or contact their staff from Fundraising Department at 2833 6139.

About UNICEF:
Founded in 1946, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the world’s leading United Nations organisation working specifically for children, with the mandate and influence to transform their lives. The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK), one of the 36 National Committees, was founded in 1986 to raise funds to support UNICEF’s work worldwide and to promote, advocate for child rights in Hong Kong. They believe their work is not completed until all champion for child rights to achieve four Zero Sufferings for children.ZERO Mortality ⇔ Right to Survival
Every child has the right to enjoy food, clean water, health services and a standard of living, etc. adequate for survival
ZERO Underdevelopment ⇔ Right to Development
Every child has the right to education, leisure, participation in cultural activities and understanding their basic rights, etc.

ZERO Abuse ⇔ Right to Protection
Every child has the right to special protection in situations of armed conflict or conflict with the law, and should be protected from any forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation

ZERO Isolation ⇔ Right to Participation
Every child has the right to freedom of expression; social, economic, cultural and religion activities; association and peaceful assembly; information from diverse sources

The Salvation Army Orienteering is a city orienteering competition as well as a fundraising event. It has been attracting corporations and young working adults to take part in this meaningful game since 2006, supporting the community services of The Salvation Army. Participants can understand more about Hong Kong and Macau during the process, and travel around Macau after the competition.

This year, the event will be held on 18 October (Saturday). It tests not only navigation skills, but also running speed, fitness and strength of the participants. After finishing the competition in Macau, participants may use the ship tickets to return to Hong Kong, or stay there with teammates till the next day (19 October).

Running Around Hong Kong and MacauThe competition is divided into two game areas: Kowloon Peninsula and Macau Peninsula. Teams have to achieve the highest score by visiting various checkpoints with a wordless map provided. There is no set game route for the competition. Score of each checkpoint varies depending on the level of difficulty.

The competition will start at Kowloon Park and end at Pui Ching Middle School in Macau. Scores and time of each game area are calculated individually. The final result will be the total score of the two areas. Team with the highest score in each category will be the champion. If there is more than one team having the same score, the champion will be the team that completes in the shortest time.

About The Salvation Army : The Salvation Army is an International Christian church and charity working in 126 countries and has been serving Hong Kong for over 80 years. With the commitment to transforming lives, caring for people and making disciples, they are currently operating 79 social services units, 31 schools and nurseries, 17 corps (churches) and 1 outpost and 15 Family Stores in Hong Kong and Macau. There are offices in Hong Kong, Beijing and Yunnan for poverty alleviation development in China.

The Salvation Army are called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are dedicated to supporting the people in need in Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China; and strive to respond to local needs, emergencies and disasters with the love of God. Their work spans a diverse range of areas including, but not limited to:

Armed conflicts and natural disasters have taken away many children’s laughter and lives.

On 3 Aug, an earthquake of 6.5-magnitude struck Ludian County, Yunnan with no mercy. UNICEF is now working with local partners to provide humanitarian assistance and also help with the longer term task of re-establishing services for children affected. The three existing UNICEF supported Child Friendly Spaces remain operational and continue to provide care and support to children. UNICEF also accelerated the ongoing programmes interventions in areas of health and nutrition, sanitation and hygiene for pregnant women and children.

– HK$1,500: provides 7 first aid kits to treat the injured children.

– HK$2,000: provides 2 recreation kits to provide psycho-social support to children in Child Friendly Space through games.

– HK$3,500: provides 3 basic family water kits to enable children to drink and wash safely.

UNICEF believes all children have the right to survive. Please donate now! Every dollar you give can go directly to saving the lives of children in the most dire crisis around the world. To donate, please follow this link

About UNICEF:
Founded in 1946, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the world’s leading United Nations organisation working specifically for children, with the mandate and influence to transform their lives. The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK), one of the 36 National Committees, was founded in 1986 to raise funds to support UNICEF’s work worldwide and to promote, advocate for child rights in Hong Kong. They believe their work is not completed until all champion for child rights to achieve four Zero Sufferings for children.ZERO Mortality ⇔ Right to Survival
Every child has the right to enjoy food, clean water, health services and a standard of living, etc. adequate for survival
ZERO Underdevelopment ⇔ Right to Development
Every child has the right to education, leisure, participation in cultural activities and understanding their basic rights, etc.

ZERO Abuse ⇔ Right to Protection
Every child has the right to special protection in situations of armed conflict or conflict with the law, and should be protected from any forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation

ZERO Isolation ⇔ Right to Participation
Every child has the right to freedom of expression; social, economic, cultural and religion activities; association and peaceful assembly; information from diverse sources

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Every year, the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) organises various educational activities to promote children’s rights. Last year, UNICEF HK visited over 80 school for more than 120 talks to interact with primary and secondary school students in Hong Kong. Through videos and life stories, students could learn about the lives of the children worldwide and UNICEF’s work on child survival, protection, development and civil participation.

Now, UNICEF HK is inviting you to take part in their education efforts as a UNICEF HK Voluntary School Speaker, an opportunity to learn more about global children’s issues to conduct school talks at primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong

The duties of a volunteer include:
– Conduct school talks at primary and secondary schools in Hong Kong. Topics include “Children’s Rights”, “War and Children”, “HIV/ADIS and Children”, “Natural Disasters and Children”, “Children in China” and “Water and Sanitation”
– Establish and maintain relationships with schools.

Join UNICEF HK as voluntary school speaker if you are:
– Aged 18 or above (Full-time tertiary students are welcome);
– Responsible, independent and proactive;
– Fluent in Cantonese and English, good at communication; and
– Passionate in promoting child rights and UNICEF’s work
Experience in teaching or serve children/youth related work is an advantage.

UNICEF HK will provide training and all necessary school talk materials to those who found suitable. For more information about their project and to sign up please visit their website.

About UNICEF:
Founded in 1946, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the world’s leading United Nations organisation working specifically for children, with the mandate and influence to transform their lives. The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK), one of the 36 National Committees, was founded in 1986 to raise funds to support UNICEF’s work worldwide and to promote, advocate for child rights in Hong Kong. They believe their work is not completed until all champion for child rights to achieve four Zero Sufferings for children.ZERO Mortality ⇔ Right to Survival
Every child has the right to enjoy food, clean water, health services and a standard of living, etc. adequate for survival
ZERO Underdevelopment ⇔ Right to Development
Every child has the right to education, leisure, participation in cultural activities and understanding their basic rights, etc.

ZERO Abuse ⇔ Right to Protection
Every child has the right to special protection in situations of armed conflict or conflict with the law, and should be protected from any forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation

ZERO Isolation ⇔ Right to Participation
Every child has the right to freedom of expression; social, economic, cultural and religion activities; association and peaceful assembly; information from diverse sources

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